Spyderco Warning

If you're considering a Spyderco folder proceed with extreme caution. The following are the serious issues I've recently had.

Strike One: I bought a NIB Para Military 2 from them late last year and one of the screws had fallen out of the knife in transit. They wanted me to pay for shipping to them AND enclose a check for $6 for return shipping in case they determined it wasn't a warranty issue. I had to call them on the phone, leave a message with the receptionist, and wait for Jack Botbyl, a supervisor, to call me back. He did call me back the same day, and I gave him the same explanation I'd emailed to them, which "Mary" in customer support responded to and told there were no exceptions on shipping. At first he tried to jerk me around by telling me they had no control of the knife after they sent it to the retailer. I told him that the retailer, Knife Center of the Internet, had already offered me a refund (they couldn't replace it because Spyderco hasn't figured out how to ramp up production on a knife retailers sell out of within hours of offering for sale each small batch they get from Spyderco). I also told him that I didn'y think KCOI would be happy t have Spyderco accusing them of messing with product before sending it to customers. They did fix it free of charge, but with a turn around time of just over a month. That's totally unacceptable for a knife that price.

The PM2 noted above came back from Spyderco bone dry. I took it apart and dry film lubed everything with paraffin wax, and it was fine. While I was at I figured it would be a good time take down all my knives to check and lube the internals. My Spyderco Superleaf was perfect, and I noticed that the liners were highly polished just like on the PM2. However,

Strike Two: The Spyderco Chaparral that I've owned for a year and a half, and the Spyderco Cat I've had for 10 months were not so kind to me. There was corrosion on handle scale side of the liners on both knives. The scales on both knives were finished in a matte bead blast, which is a horrible choice of finish in terms of countering corrosion. The more expensive Chaparral had worse corrosion than the Cat, but that's probably because the Cat is about six months newer. Thankfully I could (and did) fix this myself by scrubbing the corrosion off, polishing the liners, and then coating them in a film of paraffin for good measure. I was only slightly annoyed by this on the Cat since that knife sells for $40 - $50 online (and I got mine on a weekly deal for $30). However, the Chaparral sells for over $100 even from online discount houses. Poorly finished liners with no corrosion inhibiting coating is once again unacceptable for knife that cost this much.

Strike Three: I traded fellow THR moderator John Shirley some things I no longer use for a current production Native 5 that he'd carried for a few days before going back to his preferred Manix 2 Lightweight. I've had that knife for a few weeks now. Earlier this week I noticed that clip was starting to wobble, so I tried to tighten it with my Benchmade Blue Box tool kit, which is the same tool kit I use on every other folding knife I own. No dice. All three clip screws are spinning now. I know John didn't do anything to it, so this one is going back to Spyderco. I'm paying the shipping to them since I'm not the original owner. We shall see how long this repair takes, and see if they charge me for return shipping. Regardless of shipping charges and repair turnaround time, this is (once again), absolutely, totally, unacceptable.

The trend I've noticed is that I've not had a single problem with any Spyderco that was made in Japan. The first two US Made and Taiwan made Spyderco folders I've owned have failed miserably. Spyderco would be wise to find out what G. Sakai (their contract manufacturer in Seki City, Japan) does and implement everything Sakai does Spyderco's contract plant in Taichung, Taiwain; and in their own plant in Golden, Colorado.

However, given the problems I've listed above I'm not buying another Spyderco product until after I have a serious conversation with Sal Glesser. He'll either respond to the email I'm going send him with the text of this thread copied into it, or he'll see me at Blade in Atlanta in June.

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bikerdoc

February 1, 2014, 10:35 PM

Also post on the Spyderco forum if he does not answer your Email. Sal has been known to repond there before.

ugaarguy

February 1, 2014, 10:42 PM

I'm not going to sign up at the Spyderco forum just to air my dirty laundry. However, I wanted our members here at THR to be aware that Spyderco is in a period of serious QA / QC problems at their USA and Taiwan plants.

Valkman

February 2, 2014, 12:26 AM

That's too bad to hear about this kind of QC screwups. Spyderco has never been my choice in knives except for the Rescue in my truck but any major company would be wise not to blow off these complaints and find out what's going on. You can't be the only one.

ugaarguy

February 2, 2014, 12:42 AM

It really pains me because their tall, full flat ground blades with the finger choil are my favorite designs from any manufacturer. However, the design doesn't matter if they don't execute it. It's extremely frustrating for me because I want the new 2nd gen G10 handle Manix 2 they just released with the FFG blade. However, it's made in their Golden, CO plant and I'm not risking $100+ on one.

Benchmade is making another run of the Axis Stryker and Mini-Stryker this year. An original Mini Stryker liner lock was my first higher end knife back when I was a teenager. I know I'll be buying either the full size or the mini when they're available.

Madcap_Magician

February 2, 2014, 12:46 AM

That's a shame... fortunately since I've got no knife money to spare, the Spyderco I carry every day from six years ago has no such issues. :D

9mmforMe

February 2, 2014, 01:19 AM

Totally sucks...advice well taken though. I know that damaged gear really sucks in any way, and then when its source of damage is from the production organization and they are being less than professional that is even more frustrating! I feel your pain in a general manner tonight, brother, I lost my new Buck 721 and I don't have anyone to blame but myself (auto-a$$kick).
Hang in there buddy.

ugaarguy

February 2, 2014, 01:42 AM

Thanks 9mm. I still have plenty of other knives with working pocket clips, including a $6 Chinese made lock back folding box cutter / utility knife from Harbor Freight. Yep, Harbor Freight sells a $6 Chinese made pot metal handle utility knife and they can still get the pocket clip screwed on properly. Yet, the company that popularized the pocket clip on folding knives can't seem to properly screw one onto a $100+ knife with steel lined G10 handles. :fire:

9mmforMe

February 2, 2014, 01:52 AM

I'm with ya!! :cuss:

Bobson

February 2, 2014, 02:17 AM

Interesting. My first Spyderco knife - a Delica4 that I bought new a couple years ago - has been superb, and I consider it among the best knives I've ever owned. I had to check and see where it was made after reading this; and yep - made in Japan. Hope Spyderco takes care of this so I can continue to be a customer in the future. Do keep us posted when you hear back from Mr. Glesser.

DT Guy

February 2, 2014, 10:38 AM

For the record, my recent Military (a Golden, CO product) is on par with my Microtechs as far as production quality, and steps ahead of my ZT and Benchmade products.

Sorry to hear they're not doing that consistently, because when Spyderco in 'on their game', they make some awesome knives.

Larry

ugaarguy

February 2, 2014, 12:46 PM

I'd love to know how a Spyderco Military is steps ahead of Benchmade and ZT. What BM and ZT are you comparing it to?

DT Guy

February 2, 2014, 01:15 PM

ZT0200 (only one) BM Spike and Elishawitz something or other. Neither are bad, just the level of interior detailing, symmetry and lines running true are not up to the recent Military; it's very nearly perfect, something I don't say about knives very often.

Larry

torqem

February 2, 2014, 01:36 PM

I've never understood the appeal of high $ knives.. Billions of people do all the cutting that needs done with $5 knives. :-)

ugaarguy

February 2, 2014, 01:43 PM

Okay, you're comparing a current production Spyderco to a couple of Benchmades from the late 90s. Your ZT 0220 has curves that are hellacious to machine and finish. The Millie is pretty straight forward in comparison.

I'll give Spyderco credit that the G10 handles on my PM2 are nicer than the Noryl GTX plastic handles on my Benchmade RSK Mk1 Griptilian. However, the Griptilians have a larger stronger pivot than the PM2, and they have a much smoother lock. The RSK version of the Grip also has a stonewashed blade. Otherwise the details between the two are identical - other than the fact that neither Griptilian I own has ever had a pocket clip screw come loose, much less fall out in transit NIB! That's comparing two knives with tall, 3.5" long S30V blades with very similar street prices.

I've also NEVER had a problem with pocket clip screws on a any Benchmade. I thought it was over the top marketing a few years ago when I read a statement from Les DeAsis (owner and founder of Benchmade) about bringing their screw production in house because no supplier could meet their quality standards. Now I see how serious that is, and wish Spyderco was as stringent on their QA / QC standards.

Sam Cade

February 2, 2014, 04:19 PM

QA / QC standards.

And that is the root of your problem I'd wager.

The confluence of a lazy inspector and a lack of adherence to work instructions most likely

ugaarguy

February 2, 2014, 07:15 PM

And that is the root of your problem I'd wager.

The confluence of a lazy inspector and a lack of adherence to work instructions most likely
That, or worn out taps, or bad batches of screws from a supplier because everything on the two US made knives noted was perfect or nearly perfect: Everything except for the clip. All of which are very cheap and very fixes that haven't been implemented. And therein lies the rub. A modern style folding knife is useless without a clip. The fact that I've had clip problems on knives from THE company that is responsible for the modern folding knife having a clip, and that is the owner of the registered trademark "Clipit" just makes me want to scream.

The problems with the Taiwanese products are the result of a poor choice of liner finish rather than a problem with manufacturing or QA / QC.

joeschmoe

February 3, 2014, 04:55 PM

I've been carrying a Spyderco everyday for over 20 years. Endura and Dragonfly. No complaints. Mine have all said Seki-City, Japan. I can't speak to the Taiwanese versions.

JShirley

February 3, 2014, 06:06 PM

As everyone knows, I love Spydercos. They make good knives at fair prices, and the Glessers are great people.

The ONLY frequent problem I've had with my Spydercos has involved clips.

Speedo66

February 3, 2014, 06:12 PM

That's the thing. Whenever someone says "I've had this product for X amount of years, and it's great", it has no relationship what so ever to the current product.

It's the older products that companies made their name on, but if they don't keep up their standards, there's no longer any valid comparison.

ugaarguy

February 3, 2014, 08:17 PM

A little bit ago I fixed the Native 5 clip issue by swapping in the clip screws from a roughly ten year old Benchmade TSEK. The Benchmade screws were slightly (we're talking thousandths of an inch) longer than the Native 5 screws. I noted that the liners on both knives are the same thickness but that the G10 scales on the Native are slightly thicker. So, I figured I'd try the Native screws on the TSEK, and they're working quite well. I now have a Spyderco with a polished stainless clip secured by black coated Benchmade screws, and a Benchmade with a matte black clip secured by silver colored Spyderco screws.

Then, a few minutes ago I called Spyderco and somehow pushed the right random buttons and Eric Glesser himself answered the phone. We had a not quite lengthy talk. He listened to all the problems I'd laid out, made sure my phone number was correctly displayed on his caller ID, and took my email address. He has assured me that he will begin investigating the issues we discussed.

I also informed him of this thread, and told him I'd be happy let everyone here on THR know what steps he takes to solve these issues. He has assured me that he will email me in the coming weeks after he is able to investigate and he will let me know what actions are being taken to remedy these issues.

If nothing else I was able to talk to the owner's son and vent about my issues, but also be help him by providing a detailed analysis of the problems I've encountered. Things are looking up. I'm now cautiously optimistic. Stay tuned folks.

joeschmoe

February 3, 2014, 08:28 PM

That's the thing. Whenever someone says "I've had this product for X amount of years, and it's great", it has no relationship what so ever to the current product.
It's the older products that companies made their name on, but if they don't keep up their standards, there's no longer any valid comparison.

If you mean me, then you misunderstood me. Mine are not the same knives, but new ones. I've carried the Endura, then the Endura II, III, now the Endura IV. Ladybugs and Dragonflies. I've lost a few, and retired a couple. Bought them as gifts just last year. Oldest is 15 years, the one in my pocket is about 7-8 years old. They've given me far more use than any other knife could. Every single day. I've never been attracted to their more expensive models. I like the simplicity, economy and ruggedness of the basic line. I used to look for alternatives, but never found anything I liked better for even twice the price.
In me experience, buying them over the last 25 years they have gotten better.

You can have my Endura when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

bikerdoc

February 3, 2014, 08:52 PM

:) John and I told you the Glessers were stand up people.

I have met Eric, smart man, who will follow through.

ChaoSS

February 3, 2014, 08:58 PM

Thanks 9mm. I still have plenty of other knives with working pocket clips, including a $6 Chinese made lock back folding box cutter / utility knife from Harbor Freight. Yep, Harbor Freight sells a $6 Chinese made pot metal handle utility knife and they can still get the pocket clip screwed on properly. Yet, the company that popularized the pocket clip on folding knives can't seem to properly screw one onto a $100+ knife with steel lined G10 handles. :fire:
Just a correction, the harbor freight knife is on sale more often than not, so it is more accurately described as a four dollar knife.

Mine is my edc, and it may not have the greatest blade but i don't usually have problems with rust anywhere and the clips stay put.

BlueSmoke14

February 3, 2014, 11:56 PM

My recently lost Spyderco Delica with a full serrated blade was the best EDC knife ever.

So sad to see it go missing....in a workplace......of course never turned in....

Valkman

February 4, 2014, 12:22 AM

That's good to hear that he listened and will address the issues. I'll be interested in what follows.

Elkins45

February 4, 2014, 10:28 AM

Every brand of (insert mechanical object here) has a thread just like this one on some forum somewhere. Anything that's mass produced will have such issues. I can say that I probably own 50 Spyderco knives and none of them have these problems. The only time I ever needed replacement parts was when one of mine too a trip through the washing machine and disassembled itself.

I'm probably being a fanboy here, but I'm confident Spyderco will take care of it.

Madcap_Magician

February 4, 2014, 11:00 AM

Sal and Eric are good folks, I am confident they will make it right. Les from Benchmade would do the same, and Kershaw (while owned by some Japanese company now) has a couple of reps who are knife forum frequenters and responsible for the massive increase in Kershaw quality and offerings in the last ten years as well as the ZT line in general. I would buy confidently from all three.

jrdolall

February 4, 2014, 11:15 AM

I quit carrying a pocket knife after TSA took #6 a few years ago. I could never remember to take it out before headed to the terminal.

Now I need one about every day and don't ever have one in the pocket.

PS. TSA is happy to take all brands.

Yo Mama

February 4, 2014, 02:04 PM

1. Why not just let them fix it? I had a warranty issue with Spyderco, and yes I paid 6 bucks. Second time they paid. You can even send them all in at once and pay the same for shipping.

2. A month? I just got mine back in a week. I was just told that Taurus has a 2 month wait. In the end you'll get it taken care of.

3. It's a few stripped screws and patina if I understand you correctly. Yes I understand you're upset that China has the ability to put in a clip correctly, and yes you're justified to be annoyed, but in all your posts now you warn others to stay away from Spydercos. Some of the best blades I own are Spydercos, and yes very on par with ZT.

SDC

February 4, 2014, 02:19 PM

I've got a number of Spyderco knives (Police, Endura, Manix, and others), and can't say I've ever been less than happy with any of them.

DT Guy

February 4, 2014, 02:35 PM

I also have a ('Tenacious'? The biggest Chinese-made leaf blade folder) and it's also excellent; for the price, it's actually exceptional.

I have about 30 folders here at the moment to compare my current Spyderco's to, and they're doing very well, indeed.

Larry

zhyla

February 4, 2014, 02:39 PM

I've bought so many Spyderco knives, from the 90's to a couple of last year's Manix 2's, with absolutely zero issues that I would probably chock this up to extreme bad luck. It's not really clear from the OP whether these screws are stripped or just not tight enought?

The one issue I've seen was an Ambitious (Chinese line) that lost a clip screw. It was a gift for a relative, we probably should have loctited the screws when we repositioned the clip.

JR47

February 4, 2014, 08:45 PM

My first Spyderco was a Standard, and the clip was part of the scale. I lost it at a building collapse in the early 1990's. I replaced it with another Standard that has the newer clip style. As I type this, it's sitting on my hip. It has been exposed to weather, chemicals, and hard use in Fire/EMS aboard a Heavy Squad.

I've given away several dozen of them to friends and family over the years. Always new ones, and we, NONE of us, have ever had a problem.

What, exactly, kind of environment are these knives used in?

As for lubrication, why would anyone complain that the knives needed to be lubricated when new? Many people strip factory lubricants off of their knives, and apply their own particular favorite. Same with checking screws upon receipt. We routinely check the screws on our new guns before using them, don't we?

I hope that Spyderco helps you, if only to shut this thread down.

ugaarguy

February 4, 2014, 11:04 PM

Lots of responses since my last post, so I'll answer each of you in a big response.

Every brand of (insert mechanical object here) has a thread just like this one on some forum somewhere. Anything that's mass produced will have such issues.
Normally I'd agree. However, the consistency of the problems between manufacturing locations within a fairly small manufacturing trends away from this being a coincidence.
Sal and Eric are good folks, I am confident they will make it right. I hear this from many folks. As I wrote in my last post, after speaking to Eric yesterday I am now cautiously optimistic.

1. Why not just let them fix it? I had a warranty issue with Spyderco, and yes I paid 6 bucks. Second time they paid. You can even send them all in at once and pay the same for shipping.
As I've already noted, I was willing to pay the $6 to send in the Native because I am not the original owner (even though my friend and fellow THR moderator John Shirley bought the knife NIB and only carried it for a week at most). The problem with the $6 on the PM2 was that it was defective out of the box. My initial email interaction with Spyderco was, to paraphrase, "Send it to us, and enclose a check for return shipping in case we decide it's not a warranty issue. No exceptions. We don't care if it was defective out of the box before you even used it. Sucks to be you." That was followed by a phone call which was returned by a supervisor who first insinuated that one of their largest and most reputable dealers was at fault. I had to be very firm with him to get him to send me a call tag. That's horrible customer service, and there's no excuse for it.
2. A month? I just got mine back in a week. I was just told that Taurus has a 2 month wait. In the end you'll get it taken care of.
Yes, it took just over a month actually. One would think that product that was shipped out defective would get priority or a rush. Benchmade is currently running about two weeks on their LifeSharp service.
3. It's a few stripped screws and patina if I understand you correctly. Yes I understand you're upset that China has the ability to put in a clip correctly, and yes you're justified to be annoyed, but in all your posts now you warn others to stay away from Spydercos. Some of the best blades I own are Spydercos, and yes very on par with ZT.
Nope, the screws aren't stripped. The screws aren't long enough to get enough threads into the liner to tighten down and hold the clip properly.

Also, no, not patina. Full blown corrosion, as in pitted rust that I had to take off with a 3M ScotchBrite rolok pad being spun by a drill. FURTHER, I technically voided my warranty by disassembling the knife myself.

Again, the corrosion issue was limited to the two Taiwanese manufactured knives. It is a direct result of a poor choice of liner finish, not poor execution in the strictest sense. The clip screw issues are limited to a pair of very recent production "Golden, Colorado U.S.A. Earth" plant knives. This appears to be a clip screw length issue, but the screws may be a little soft as well. As I also noted, my experience with every Spyderco that was made in Japan (IIRC made by G. Sakai) has been superb. I'll make the Chris Reeve fans heads explode and assert that I'd rather have a Spyderco Superleaf than a large Sebenza. I'd Rather have my Benchmade RSK Mk1 Griptilian than a large Sebenza as well. If Spyderco hadn't sent me a defective PM2 AND made jump through hoops to get it fixed I'd rate the PM2 above the RSK Mk1 and the Superleaf.

Would it make you happy if I checked them on a micrometer and gave to the exact lengths vs. the Benchmade screws? If hso still has access to such facilities or equiment, would you like me to ask him if I can send both the Spyderco and Benchmade screws to him to have the hardness of each tested?
Are you going to keep apologizing for Spyderco, and expect me to the QA / QC for them?

My first Spyderco was a Standard, and the clip was part of the scale. I lost it at a building collapse in the early 1990's. I replaced it with another Standard that has the newer clip style. As I type this, it's sitting on my hip. It has been exposed to weather, chemicals, and hard use in Fire/EMS aboard a Heavy Squad.
Spyderco doesn't make a model called the "Standard". Based on the context I assume you're referring to a Delica or Endura. Those are made in Japan for Spyderco. Again, I've had nothing but exceptional experience with Japanese made Spydercos.

I've given away several dozen of them to friends and family over the years. Always new ones, and we, NONE of us, have ever had a problem.

What, exactly, kind of environment are these knives used in?
The PM2 was manufactured by Spyderco, boxed, packaged, and sent to Knife Center of the Internet in Maryland. From there it repackaged, and mailed to me in North Georgia. All of that abuse made the clip screws fall out of the handle.

The Native 5 was likewise boxed, packaged, and sent to a dealer. It was then repackaged and shipped to John Shirley (THR moderator J Shirley) in the metro DC are, where he carried it for somewhere between a few days and a week. John cut open a package or two with it. John then packed it up and sent it to me in North Georgia. Once I received the Native 5 I carried it clipped in my pocket for several days. Those several days were over the course of a couple of weeks as part of my EDC rotation. I also opened a package or two with it. It held up to much more use than the PM2 before its clip screws finally gave up the ghost.

The Chaparral was boxed, packaged, and sent to a B&M Spyderco dealer who is local to me. They checked it in, and put in the display case that evening. The next day I saw it, handled it, and bought it. It was carried on and off over the course of a little over a year, clipped inside the front pocket of khaki shorts or khaki pants. It was carried primarily as a dress knife, but it did open a few packages, open several pieces of my mail, and shaved the caps off of several cigars before I quit smoking. It was carried mostly in North Georgia, but it did make a few excursions into the heathen land to the east that is otherwise known as Upstate South Carolina.

The Cat was boxed, packaged, and shipped to Blade HQ in Utah. From there, it was repackaged and shipped to me in North Georgia. After I received it was carried in rotation with the Chaparral as a less dressy but still gentlemanly sized knife. It saw similar abuse to the Chaparral.

As for lubrication, why would anyone complain that the knives needed to be lubricated when new? Many people strip factory lubricants off of their knives, and apply their own particular favorite. Same with checking screws upon receipt. We routinely check the screws on our new guns before using them, don't we?
The PM2 came lubricated when new. It was returned bone dry. Further, if you'd actually bother to read Spyderco's warranty, unlike a gun, your warranty is voided if you disassemble the knife. So, I technically voided my warranty taking the knives apart to my lubricant of choice on them. AND since disassembly voids the warranty Spyderco had damn well better make sure that all interior components are highly polished and / or coated with a very long life corrosion inhibitor. This particularly true on knives like the Chaparral that have street prices over $100, and MSRPs well above that amount.
I hope that Spyderco helps you, if only to shut this thread down.
Quit being an apologist fanboy. Once again, I'm a huge fan of Spyderco's designs, and freaking love their full flat ground blades with the finger choil. I've provided the FACTS of my experience. You can heed my warning and proceed with caution before purchasing an American or Taiwanese made Spyderco. You seem to have Japanese made Spydercos, which, once again, I also think are exceptional knives. You can heed my warning about poor initial customer service and the need to escalate this to a higher level. Just keep in mind that Spyderco is still a relatively small company. When contacting them you go from front end customer service to a supervisor. The next step up the chain after a supervisor is talking to Eric or Sal. Thankfully, Sal is a great man by all accounts, and after talking to Eric I think very highly of him.

As for shutting down this thread down, it's only going to happen if another moderator chooses to because people like you keep attacking me or another member. Open or closed I'll still be able to post, and I will pass along the response detailing what measures Spyderco is taking to remedy these problems, which Eric has assured me he will send me in the coming weeks.

Sam Cade

February 5, 2014, 12:09 AM

Spyderco doesn't make a model called the "Standard".

They used to. Dropped out of production mid 90's.

http://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php?title=C05_Economy/Standard

http://www.spydiewiki.com/images/e/e3/C05_Standard1984_clipside.jpg

mole

February 5, 2014, 12:54 AM

My younger brother had an issue. He contacted Sal through a forum and new/better parts arrived in the mail in just a few days. They took care of him.

Madcap_Magician

February 5, 2014, 01:29 AM

I will agree that pocket clip screws do not appear to be their strong point. I've owned probably two dozen Spydercos, and this only happened on my current one, but the screws started loosening over time. This was an issue solely because I don't have a torx wrench in whatever size it is they use.

I sent the knife in for the $5 resharpening (There was a slight nick in the tip that a grinder would get out, but I couldn't get it out on my diamond stone), and asked them to fix the clip, and I have had no problems with it since.

9mmforMe

February 5, 2014, 06:11 AM

Shut the thread down? Why would you want this done if the point of the forum is written discourse which conveys information regarding all aspects of gun/knife ownership? I think that the thread is under control by Ug, and I for one find it an interesting read to discover the processes of Ug's experience with a current production knife and a leader in the mass knife producing community. Nothing has seemed inappropriate, except perhaps comments by the gentleman who suggested the shutdown. I think the moderators, to include Ug, do a fine job here, so why not leave it be?

DT Guy

February 5, 2014, 08:43 AM

Personally, I think the 'Warning' is a bit strong; any company has issues, and I see Spyderco having fewer than other makers, to be honest.

That said, I do like hearing about things like this, and it does influence my purchasing decisions.

Larry

mole

February 5, 2014, 08:19 PM

Wow, one post changed by two mods. I must be on a roll. I wouldn't consider it a "non THR jab" though. Just a little ribbing between two alumni that was actually on topic. Oh well, at least one of them thought it was funny.

NMPOPS

February 12, 2014, 02:45 AM

Ugaarguy,

"Spyderco doesn't make a model called the "Standard". Based on the context I assume you're referring to a Delica or Endura. Those are made in Japan for Spyderco. Again, I've had nothing but exceptional experience with Japanese made Spydercos."

I have a Spyderco Standard I bought new in 1984. I see it's listed as the C04 Economy now but back then it was listed as the "Standard". Great knife by the way, my grandson now carries it.

ugaarguy

February 12, 2014, 07:20 AM

NM Pops, I saw the link Sam C posted. Please forgive me for not knowing every obscure Spyderco model dating back 30 years. The Economy / Standard was also dropped from the lineup 20 years ago, and replaced by the stainless steel handle Delica II two years later in 1996.

Further, the Economy/Standard/Delica are all made in Japan. As I noted above the Japanese made Spydercos are excellent. The US and Taiwanese made knives are where the trouble is.

Outlaw Man

February 13, 2014, 05:18 PM

I've never owned a Spyderco knife, so I can't add much beyond saying I'm brutal on pocket clips. I don't believe I've ever carried one that I didn't bend or warp from clumsiness or getting it caught on something.

On all my (non-Harbor Freight-quality) knives, the only complaint I had was the screw on my Kershaw Blur was an odd size. They have all stayed secure except my old Benchmade where the clip mounted to the pivot screw and I deliberately loosened it to make it open easier.

Your problem sounds unexpected, at best. I'm interested to see how it is resolved. I decided to include Spyderco in the knives I sell based on typically great reviews and customer service stories. If this is a manufacturing issue, I may need to reconsider which models I carry.

ugaarguy

February 14, 2014, 01:16 AM

Outlaw Man, Spyderco's Japanese made products remain excellent. We'll see how they address the issues on the US and Taiwanese made products. If nothing else, Blade is now less than four months away.

ugaarguy

February 15, 2014, 10:02 PM

At this point I'm going to try not to post again until I get a phone call or email from Eric at Spyderco. My frustration with these problems and the response from Spyderco's front line customer service has shown through too much here. My apologies.

jackknifeh

February 17, 2014, 02:47 PM

uaraaguy, sorry to hear about your problems. I joined this forum just to post on this thread. I'm a happy Spyderco guy and am using the same user ID here as on the Spyderco forum. You said you didn't want to air dirty laundry there but someone else posted a link to this thread. :) that's how I found it.

I'm not going to say anything about Spyderco, good or bad. That would be pointless I think. I had a similar issue though with another knife company. I bought 6 or 7 knives from them and had serious lock problems with 4 or 5 of them. I had to send two of them back for the exact same problem. The spring in the locks failed. I couldn't understand why I had so much trouble with so many of the knives from one company. I didn't have any problems with any other knives that were rememberable. I sent a long letter to the management of that company and never heard word one in response. I thought that was worse than the mechanical problems I had. The weird thing is I HAD to be having more problems than are (or were) normal because if every customer had the same problems I had in the same numbers word of mouth would have destroyed the company within a matter of months. I did get to know the guy in the repair dept. though. He's a great guy and finally sent me some springs so I could fix my own knives. :) I did that once and didn't have any more problems. Once they had been working for a while I sold them. I also vowed not to buy any more knives from that company. I think there must have been something about the alignment of the moon and stars that caused me so many problems. Did you check the moon and stars when you had your Spyderco's delivered? :) I want to mention the company in my story but won't. It was 3-4 years ago and I still think I had isolated incidences. If my story were the norm they wouldn't still be in business.

I think you will be happy with Spyderco but it's still a pain in the "pick your area". :) Take care.

Jack
PS
What is this forum all about? I only accessed this thread, registered and posted this reply. For all I know I'm on a porn forum.:uhoh::) Better check it out. :)

ugaarguy

February 17, 2014, 11:37 PM

Welcome to THR Jackknifeh. Apparently it's only celestial alignment problems with me and the US and Taiwanese made Spydercos. ;) The Japanese made examples I own have been superb.

I guess I just need to drop the $10 or so and get a 100 pack of 2-56 button head screws from one of the knife making supply houses. I could always order them on the long side and then grind to length when have to replace the clip screws on the next US made Spyderco I buy. It still grinds my gears that the problem is something so simple (yet still debilitating) on a pair of knives with "street" prices over $100, and MSRPs of $200 (+ $10 on the N5, - $10 on the PM2) that are otherwise superb and worth the price tags.

RTR_RTR

February 18, 2014, 01:30 AM

PS
What is this forum all about? I only accessed this thread, registered and posted this reply. For all I know I'm on a porn forum. Better check it out.

TheHighRoad is an online community dedicated to the legalization of marijuana across the U.S.

Either that or a 2A/firearm discussion forum with a small bit of other stuff thrown in. Yeah, it's the latter. No pot ;)

ugaarguy

February 19, 2014, 01:57 AM

I looked at the pics of the liners again, and noticed that the Chaparral does not have the bead blast or otherwise matte finished liners, but that the flats of the liners were simply left as machined. Only the very thin outer edges are polished. The pictures of the liners on the Cat have disappeared into never never land if I even took them. For those concerned, here are the best pics of the Chap liner and scale. There was so much rust in spots that you can see the rust that was still stuck to the CF scale. This is the right hand side of the knife, or the side that would come into contact with the palm of a right handed user.

195144 195145

ugaarguy

February 21, 2014, 01:11 AM

I've shut this one down, and started a new thread on the issues. Because of my frustrations, I was in a rather ill tempered state for most of this thread. I'd like to give this a fresh start that will hopefully lead to better discussion.

To those of you who I was rather rude to, namely Yo Mama, JR47, and NM Pops; I sincerely apologize.

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